Penny and Cup Game
Category:Biology in elementary schools Penny and cup game Student worthiness Tried and trusted. Primary biological content area covered The human body; Senses, more specifically the sense of sight. Materials Safety equipment: *paper towels *sponge Materials required for teacher's use: *copy of the lesson *access to water Materials required for each student group: *pennies *short glass cup Materials required for each individual student: *pen *paper Handouts If there are simple written instructions that students would use during this activity they should be placed here and they can be cut and pasted into a word processing document for printing. If there are mechanisms within this web format to upload more complex documents with diagrams, we will learn as we go. Description of activity To figure out if one eye is better than two, students will test their sense of sight with both monocular and biocular vision. Students will try to put a penny in a cup of water, relying on their sense of sight. Lesson plan An ordered account of how the lesson might proceed. It is worth recognizing that some flexibility is useful in lesson plans, but at the same time having a structure and direction provides some organization and structure that your students will appreciate. A bullet list may be the best format for some projects, but a few paragraphs may work just as well. Build in enough time for students to clean up after themselves and restock the program box for future students. Keep in mind that teachers are very busy, and a student clean up policy is essential for sanity. The goal is to prove if two eyes are better than one! Break into pairs and test whether you are able to get more pennies in the cup using both of your eyes and with your partner using only one of their eyes. Guess how you and your partner will do. Have your partner hold a penny above the cup and when you say go, have them drop the penny aiming for the cup. Write down how you and your partner did and then switch roles. Guess how your going to do now, do you think it will be easier now? Write down your results this time through. Which way is easier? Potential pitfalls From your experience running the activity, list any difficulties you encountered. Where possible, incorporate any modifications of the activity that could reduce these pitfalls directly into the description above. Math connections Does the activity link in any way to grade-appropriate math skills? Literature connections What children's literature interfaces with the activity you have described. Are there specific library materials that you should have on hand to tie this idea into the broader curriculum? Connections to educational standards This section is used to help teachers track and document the educational standards that the activity meets. What educational standards does this activity address? Enter the relevant section numbers here. Vermont standards can be found in web links at the bottom of this page. Feel free to add links to other standards. Next steps Once you have completed the activity, what other information can be gleaned from the materials and resources at hand? What additional activities could be developed using the equipment and materials you have listed above? What other opportunities to learn can be explored based on student questions and input? Citations and links This Penny and Cup idea came from PBS ZOOM website. You can find this idea on http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/pennycupgame.html